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SPRING FORWARD ISSUE MARCH 8, 2025
VOL. 5 NO. 22
PAUL PRESENTS
NEWS-NOTES-NONSENSE
it's good to be back. Let's get started...
On Thursday PaulG made a presentation on topics he recently studied as he continues his pursuit of a masters degree in history-museums and the holocaust. He lamented the fact that the Alton Museum has been closed since the start of the pandemic.
Mark your calendar for these upcoming club events-jambalaya dinner on April 26th. We will be serving at the Keasler Rec Center. Our annual golf tournament on July 19th with an AM tee time. On October 17th we will be slinging chili at the EAWR vs RHS football game.
We note the recent passing of Betty Moxey, long time WR meeting pianist, may she rest in peace.
Early birders included-AllenH, LoriP and BradP.
GlennB is off to Brisbane, Australia for a month, following a recent cyclone that hit the area.
Congrats to MarkA on his 14 years of club service.
The district sponsored Rotary Family Day at the Ballpark is scheduled for Saturday August 9th. The game between the Cards and Cubs is scheduled for 6:15. Tickets are $60. both members and non-members can purchase tickets for this fun evening at Busch.
The slide-right-inners included-JohnP, RodneyD, GeorgeM and PaulH.
ChrisH and JoeS were more than happy to share some of their personal child rearing experiences. (Be advised, you may not want them watching your children.)
RobinK was covering for Prez Bill. Was he in Jupiter watching the Cards lose to the Nats 12-1??
PaulG paid a Happy Fine. RobinK took a $ from everyone who wished it was warmer than 40 degrees.
GlennB paid $10 not to hear us sing happy birthday to him. That doesn't mean we can't wish him a great one!
Late arrivals included PaulH, PaulG, GeorgeM and RodneyD.
Birthday greetings to RodneyD on the 11th.
We had 16 members dining on beef pot pie, whipped taters, rolls, salad and cookies.
The $137 50-50 rolls after JohnP and GlennB failed to find the joker. GeorgeM tried his luck with the scratch-off.
Opening duties were covered by JoeS, RodneyD and JohnP.
72% of Eastender News subscribers opened the last newsletter.
GLENN PULLS, JOHN PONDERS
PROBLEM SOLVERS
TRIVIA NIGHT UPDATE
Trivia night on February 8 was a huge success. 26 Teams and numerous silent auction items resulted in a net raised of $7119.00. Combined with Golf Tournament, we are at $12,145.80 toward our goal of $15,000.00. An outstanding 29 Rotarians participated in some fashion by playing, sponsoring, volunteering or donating. Special shout out to Mark Smith for developing the questions and acting as emcee and Brad Pulaski for providing all the technology expertise that made the event top notch! Remember to mark on your calendar the Golf Tournament this July 19 at Belk Park.-JoeS
ALL THINGS TRIVIAL
The FDA gave food makers until 2027 to get rid of something. What?
A-Red number 3
B-Yellow number 9
C-Green number 7
D-chanel number 5
(The answer is found near the end of the newsletter)
Today is National Peanut Cluster Day
What UNESCO site is also the most-visited U.S. national park?
Yellowstone
Great Smoky Mountains
Yosemite
Everglades
Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the most-visited national park in the United States, attracting an average of 13 million visitors each year. The 800-square-mile park in Tennessee and North Carolina has also been recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1983. The Smokies are home to over 3,500 plant species and a large diversity of salamander species.
FROM OUR ARCHIVES
Sourced from the Make-Up and Banner newsletters
March 2012
Current members serving as club officers -ScottL, LoriP, GeorgeM, CoryG, GeorgeT.
The WR club's recent Trivia Night was the most successful ever! Helpers included-TommieM, JohnP,JeanK and GeorgeT.
MadCo Chief Judge Ann Calis made a presentation at the EA meeting. The WR club heard about the Conoco-Phillips refinery expansion.
The 3 club combo meeting was scheduled for April 26th at Julia's Banquet Center.
DonnaK was the meeting greeter while ScottL introduced guests.
Snowbirders MarkSp and MarkA returned from FL while RickH was still MIA.
CoryG failed to find the joker. JohnP had won the opportunity to pass on the $520 jackpot.
LoriP was off to Branson while VirgilM was in the house.
The next Adopt A Highway cleanup day was slated for April 21st.
JoeS announced that the basketball tourney raised about $1,200. He received a standing-O for a job well done.
PHOTOS OF THE WEEK
DATELINE:ROTARY
50 years of service in Rotary
Youth Exchange
By Logan Johnson, Engagement Specialist for the Youth Exchange and Youth Protection team at Rotary International
The year 2025 marks the 50th anniversary of the Rotary Youth Exchange program as one of Rotary International’s official youth programs. Although the program started well before 1975, Rotary members, program volunteers, and alumni everywhere should be proud to celebrate the last fifty years as the program has grown and become a prime example of Rotary service worldwide for so many. Rotary Youth Exchange would not be possible without the essential work that volunteers—Rotary members or nonmembers alike—contribute year after year.
But how many volunteers does it take to run Rotary Youth Exchange? What kind of volunteers are necessary to ensure students complete thousands of exchanges every year safely and successfully? Let’s address both of those questions and showcase the scale of the massive volunteer effort that tens of thousands of adults contribute to Rotary Youth Exchange every year.
The following statistics represent the total data district program leaders have provided to Rotary International since 2018. No data was collected during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused an international hiatus for the 2020-21 and 2021-22 Rotary years.
Volunteers drive success
It takes 25,000 volunteers in total each year to facilitate the Rotary Youth Exchange program. About 14,000 tend to be members, while 11,000 do not have a Rotary or Rotaract club membership.
The success of the Rotary Youth Exchange program depends on the dedication of volunteers, both Rotary members and nonmembers. Over the years, the program has seen a balanced contribution from both groups. On average, 56% of volunteers are Rotary members, while 44% are nonmembers. This diverse volunteer base ensures a rich exchange of cultures and ideas, benefiting the students and the communities involved.
Volunteers can serve Rotary Youth Exchange in a variety of ways—host families, counselors, language tutors, and, of course, members who facilitate the program.
“There are so many things to be done,” says Sabrina Barreto, a counselor for Youth Exchange students in District 4500 (Brazil). “There are relationships to build with clubs, families, and other districts. You don’t necessarily need to be involved with teenagers. There is a role for everyone.”
"Anybody who doesn’t know what soap tastes like never washed a dog."-Franklin P. Jones
"Bad days happen to everyone, but when one happens to you, just keep doing your best and never let a bad day make you feel bad about yourself."-Big Bird
"If aliens are watching this through telescopes, they’re gonna think the dogs are the leaders [of the planet]. If you see two life-forms, one of them’s making a poop, the other one’s carrying it for him, who would you assume is in charge?"-Jerry Seinfeld
"A horse is dangerous at both ends and uncomfortable in the middle."-Ian Fleming
SMILE
The Roman emperor's wife hates playing hide and seek because wherever she goes, Julius Caesar.
If you are being chased by a pack of taxidermists, do not play dead.
I like what mechanics wear, overall.
My friend told me he was going to a fancy dress party as an Italian island. I said to him, “Don't be Sicily.”
I don't know what you call a small spillage from a pen but I have an inkling.
My grandfather invented the cold air balloon but it never really took off.
A boiled egg is hard to beat.
The other day she tried to make a chemistry joke, but got no reaction.
Yesterday, a clown held the door open for me. It was such a nice jester.
BY THE NUMBERS
US sales of physical books rose in 2024 after three years of decline. Industry figures showed that 782.7 million print books were sold last year, up 1% on 2023 although still nearly 40 million down from the peak of 2021
About 45% of electric-vehicle transactions in the third quarter of 2024 were leases, compared with 24% for the industry as a whole-Experian
Hail damage caused an estimated 2.8 million claims in 2024—by far the biggest single source of claims and almost double the 1.5 million tally of just two years ago- Verisk Analytics
U.S. shoppers lost $8.7 billion to fraud overall through the 2024 third quarter, a 14.5% increase from the same period a year ago-Federal Trade Commission
Vietnam supplies a third of the sports shoes, half of the wooden beds and dining tables, and a quarter of the solar cells imported by the U.S
About 8% of a typical American’s spending in 2023 was on healthcare, according to Labor Department data released in September—less than housing, transportation and food, but more than clothing, entertainment and education
(Trivia answer A)
OBJECT OF ROTARY
The object of Rotary is to encourage and foster the ideal of service as a basis of worthy enterprise and, in particular, to encourage and foster:
First:The development of acquaintance as an opportunity for service.
Second: High ethical standards in business and professions, the recognition of the worthiness of all useful occupations, and the dignifying of each Rotarian's occupation as an opportunity to serve society.
Third: The application of the idea of service in each Rotarian's personal business, and community life.
Fourth: The advancement of international understanding, goodwill, and peace through a world fellowship of business and professional persons united in the ideal of service.
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